. >> if the president was serious, he would sit down with harry reid and begin to address our problems. >> reporter: trying to capi capitalize on the visit by governors. in california, 9,600 low-income students could lose financial aid. in texas, nearly $68 million for teachers and schools could be slashed. and in virginia, 90,000 civilian defense department employees could be furloughed. the president punctuated the urgency. >> all of us are concerned about our politics. both in our own parties as well as the other parties. but at some point, we've got to do some governing. >> reporter: still, there have been no negotiations. no progress all weekend. not even a phone call between the president and republicans in days. so why the lack of movement, especially if the cuts are so drastic? >> what you're seeing right now is solely that political positioning, trying to put themselves in a place where they are the ones dictating the terms of the eventual agreement to their political rivals. >> reporter: but the anticipation is already breeding anxiety. >> the sequester is part of the broad u